Ecological Footprint: a way to assess impact of tourists’ choices at local scale

Ecological footprint (EF) is a method developed to assess the sustainability of different consumption patterns and to address human choice in the daily life. Considering that different kind of tourism can have different impact on the environment (due, for instance, to energy consumption or to the extension of built-up land), there is the need of development of valuable tool to compare sustainability of different issues related to tourism. In this study, EF method was fitted to Italian situation and to an assessment of potential impact of tourism at local scale, underlining how tourists’ choice could affect the quality of the environment in a tourist destination. The presented case study consists in the development of a framework, based on EF method, to assess the ecological costs of different kind of holiday, related also with accommodation type chosen by tourists. Through model implementation, it is possible to calculate the EF of one overnight of staying for each kind of accommodation. The model was applied to a specific destination in Italy, Alpi Lepontine, to assess EF of tourism in this area, and to evaluate sustainability of the destination, comparing EF of tourists and residents with local biocapacity. Aim of the study is to evaluate the current situation, and to identify solutions that assure the development of tourist with fewer environmental costs (e.g. network of small hospitality structures, sustainable mobility). The results of this work represent not only a supportive information for decision makers but also a useful tool to raise environmental consciousness among tourists